Aliens vs. Predator: Nightmare Marine FAQ by rixusmar
Version 1.0, Last Updated 2010-04-30 View/Download Original File
Hosted by GameFAQs
Return to Aliens vs. Predator (X360) FAQs & Guides
Liked this FAQ? Click here to recommend this item to other users.
*******************************************************************************
FAQ: "Nightmare" Marine Campaign Guide
Version: 1.0
Author: Dale Taylor a.k.a Rixus Mar
E-mail: [email protected]
Date: 29 March 2010
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
Contents:
- Version History [vhy]
- Introduction [idn]
- Nightmare Marine FAQ
- Colony [cny]
- Refinery [rfy]
- Jungle [jgl]
- Ruins [rns]
- Research Lab [rlb]
- Pyramid [pyd]
- Conclusion [cln]
- Legal Information [lgi]
- Contact Me [cnt]
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
- Version History [vhy]
29 Mar 2010: Constructed FAQ until the "Ruins". Applied all relevent formatting
and cosmetics. Included the use of the "quick find" system.
22 Apr 2010: Received email telling me to pull my "finger out". Finished FAQ
from the "Ruins" onwards.
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
- Introduction [idn]
Well, here it is folks: the long awaited Nightmare Marine FAQ! Sorry it's
taken so long, but these FAQs are very time-consuming to put together. I
would've begun this FAQ a lot sooner, but I struggled for a week or so with the
"Combat Fundamentals" section of the Nightmare Predator FAQ - truth be told I'm
still not 100% satisfied with it.
This Nightmare Marine FAQ is the conclusion to a trilogy of FAQs, the first
installment being the Nightmare Alien FAQ, the Nightmare Predator FAQ making
the second. The recommended order for playing the campaigns (on any difficulty
other than Nightmare) is "Marine-Predator-Alien", but on Nightmare difficulty I
more than recommend doing them in reverse order, "Alien-Predator-Marine". This
is for no reason other than making your life easier, and keeping your hair a
bit longer.
This guide is not intended to be a walkthrough. It's desidned to help players
through areas of enemies, bosses, etc. on the hardest difficulty setting -
Nightmare. There are no checkpoints on Nightmare and enemy HP and AI are
heightened. Specific help is required in some areas, but it's not a guide
that's going to hold your hand and tell you exactly where to go or what to do:
there are other FAQs for that. These guides are for the serious gamer who wants
(and can handle) a good challenge; and for the completionists who just HAVE to
get that last achievement...
I've stuck with the same layout as my previous guides (cut/paste has saved me a
lot of work in this gargantuan task), laid out in the levels you play as you
play them in the campaign.
I've also implemented a "quick find" structure to my guide. Veterans of these
FAQ sites will know the good old "Highlight, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+F, Ctrl+V". In
layman's terms: you highlight from the contents the heading you want to find
(3 unique characters in: []), copy it, Ctrl+F (opens the "Find" window), then
pasting your copied text in the field provided. This finds the next occurence
of copied text and, as it's a unique set of characters, will scroll you
immediately to that heading in the guide.
As with my previous FAQs, to understand and utilise it fully, there are some
things you and I must assume before we begin:
- You have completed the campaign at least once (preferably twice) with one of
those playthroughs being of at least Normal difficulty (preferably Hard).
- You have a firm grasp of mission objectives, geography, etc. Namely, you
don't need to be led by the hand through the levels and can use your
initiative.
- You're not interested in collecting Audio Diaries. This is sometimes a
conflicting interest and therefore belongs in another FAQ.
If you're going to survive this campaign there are some survival tips you MUST
know:
- AMMO: there simply isn't enough of it. You can maximise your ammo pick ups
though, you just have to be smart about. Let's say you're in a room with one
ammo pick-up (potentially worth 81 rounds), 99 rounds in your magazine (full)
and 273 rounds in your belt. And let's say an infinate number of aliens come
at you in this one room. You pick up the ammo now and it will fill your belt
to 297 rounds (you gain 24 of the potential 81 rounds in the pick-up), you
empty your entire arsenal on the aliens and you've only shot a maximum of 396
rounds (99 in your mag, and 297 in your belt).
Now for the smart way. Same conditions as before, except we don't pick up the
ammo right away. What? "Madness! We need full ammo for taking on these
infinately spawning aliens!", I hear you cry. Well, we empty our mag (99
rounds) and reload. THEN we pick up the ammo (81 rounds), giving us 99 in the
mag and 255 in the belt. Unload all these rounds (354) and, including the 99
rounds you used before picking up the ammo, you've fired a total of 453
rounds.
I may have my numbers wrong but you've made a "57 round" profit, because you
picked up 81 rounds off the floor instead of 24. I know it might sound
long-winded and complicated but it's not. Read over it a few times, use a pen
and paper if you have to, but it's simple: don't pick up ammo unless you need
MORE than 80 rounds, any less and you'll pick up less, in turn ripping
yourself off.
- HEAD-SHOTS: accept nothing less! It's no secret that ammo is scarce in this
campaign, espaecially in te earlier levels. You need to dispatch the aliens
as quickly and as efficiently as possible: when going for the head-shot, aim
for the teeth/mouth and NOT the long stretch of skull going down their back -
you'll notice the difference, trust me. Sometimes you can't help but take
their legs off. If so don't waste ammo fiishing them off, unless it's
imperative that your path cross their's - they'll try and grab you if you're
too close, which could be the deciding factor betwen life or death.
- HEAL OFTEN: don't be afraid to use stim-paks, there's usually (but not
always) plenty lying around the levels. If you have anything less than full
health, a facehugger will kill you outright, or aliens get too close and one
strikes you as you kill another and (obviously not planning for this
contingency) the combination of the alien's strike and the molecular acid
bring your run to an untimely end.
- NEVER fully empty your gun! You'll find that if your gun fully empties,
you're surounded by aliens, and trying to run away, you'll often find
yourself stuck in the reload sequence, unable to block, and being swiftly
slaughtered. When surrounded, you want to be able to run away and reload at a
safe distance.
- ALWAYS block when aliens get up close: If they strike with a weak attack,
simply counter and shoot; if they go for a strong attack (you'll know this by
the way they rear up on their hind legs), quickly elbow them first and follow
up with heavy fire. This will save your life many times throughout the
campaign.
- AVOID the molecular acid: it's a killer on Nightmare.
- DON'T die! Or it's all the way back to the start with you.
I was determined to make this Introduction shorter than the others, but there
you go. So let's get to it...
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
- Nightmare Marine FAQ
- Colony [cny]
------
After watching the intro, you'll wake up in the Garage. The level's pretty
straight forward until you come to the Club. You don't want to die in this
level for 2 reasons: it's the FIRST level, so if you die here you don't stand
much chance later on; and secondly, it's a royal pain having to go back and
keep doing the annoying tutorial. Pick up the grenades but not the ammo, if you
can, because you'll get more rounds if you have less on you (see "survival
tips" in the Introduction) - and if there's one thing that's going to make your
life hell (especially on the earlier levels) is the lack of ammo (you'll be
using your pistol a LOT).
Simply keep on the move, forcing the aliens to come at you from one direction
(don't get surrounded - I couldn't stress it enough in the Nightmare Predator
FAQ), and keep an eye on your invaluable motion sensor. If any xeno's get
close simply block, counter, and drill them in the head with your pulse rifle.
If they rear up on their hind legs they're going for a strong tail-attack -
simply elbow (to interrupt an attack) and unload on their head. I can't stress
enough the importance of head-shots. Keep the aiming reticule over the aliens'
heads, you'll take them down far quicker. You can't afford to waste ammo on
Nightmare! If you do manage to shoot them in the body or legs, forcing
them to crawl to you, don't (unless you absolutely HAVE to run past them)
finish them off - they'll bleed out eventually, so it would be a waste of
ammo. And only use grenades on 2 or more aliens grouped together, finishing any
off with head-shots before they get to their feet.
Once you've done the Club, continue through the level until you come to
C-Block. Pick up ammo and grenades, if you need them, and wait for the siganl
to go down stairs. Head downstairs and, once you've turned the smart gun back
on, an alien should appear through a vent to the left. Kill him swiftly
(constantly moving all the while) and look to the other side (right). Sometimes
his friend comes and sometimes he doesn't. Once you're sure the coast is clear,
head back upstairs to the barricaded tunnel. Don't waste too much ammo here,
just kill the ones that look like they're going to make it past the smart gun.
If any do make it past, simply follow the melee procedure mentioned above.
After a time the hangar door will open and you'll be free to run to the
elevator. Keep moving and killing until the elevator arrives. Ammo will be an
issue here whilst waiting for the elevator to come - now is a sound time to
think about (wisely) spending your grenades. Every time I've played this
section I've used a different amount of ammo: sometimes I run out and sometimes
I'm ok - you'll just have to wing it.
Once you get down the elevator you'll have to navigate the sewers. The end is
in sight, so take your time and don't try anything rash. As you progress
through the sewers 3 aliens will come out of vents individually at different
distances through the sewers. Simply keep your distance, reversing and shooting
simultaneously (don't go further forward as you'll "activate" the next alien -
you can go as far back as you like, but not forward). Don't worry about ammo
here because there's 2 pick-ups in these tunnels, and you lose your gun at the
end of the level anyway.
After you reach the second ammo pick-up, Tequila will tell you something along
the lines of, "You must hurry!". Take her advice and run (without looking back)
for dear life through the remainder of the tunnels, never deviating from the
main path. Just when you think you're home free, an alien will grab you by the
legs and pull you down through a vent in the floor...
- Refinery [rfy]
--------
You'll begin the level in the caverns, after having shot the alien dragging
you, with your pistol (you've lost your pulse rifle). Make your way through the
caverns, taking out the 2 aliens, and proceed to the outbuilding. Before
entering the outbuilding, follow the wall as far to the right as you can go
(by the turbine the Predator uses to gain access to the roof) to find a
shotgun. Don't use it yet: keep it for later and get your pistol back out.
Enter the outbuilding, kill the facehugger with your pistol (use burst fire -
the pistol's secondary attack), replace the power node to activate the elevator
(ignoring the 2nd facehugger), and run to said elevator (picking up shotgun
ammo on the way).
Once you exit the elevator, kill the facehugger in this room immediately -
he'll only come back to haunt you later. Continue up the stairs (picking up the
shotgun ammo UNDER the stairs first) and establish uplink to the Refinery. Head
back to the elevator and you'll exit in the 1st floor. Instead of going out the
door to your left, explore these corridors (taking care not to fall down the
hole) for a stim-pak and more shotgun ammo (you'll need these shortly). There's
also a pulse rifle in the room to the left as you exit the elevator. A few
aliens (2 or 3) will harrass you between the roof and here. So long as you deal
with them as they appear and don't, say, make a bolt for the elevator to get
away - because they'll still follow you through the vents. This way they won't
"build up" and cause you grief in the narrow corridors. Now, head outside.
Make your way to the bridge, and 6-plus aliens will come towards you. Using the
propane cylinders to your advantage, shoot the one closest to where they emerge
(it's not on the actual bridge, it's on the other side of the gorge) with the
pulse rifle, and fall back along the bridge taking out each bunch of cylinders
as you do so. Switch to your shotgun and secondary fire any that come near,
running up and down the bridge and around the open area on the other side. If
any get up close, elbow them BEFORE blasting them with the shotgun: I can't
stress how much of a killer the acid blood is!
Make your way through the mines to the place where you have to bypass the
elevator controls. On the way there, stick to the left, collect all the ammo
you can get your hands on, and take care of the facehugger. Once you've
explored the whole area and picked up all ammo and grenades, initiate the hack
to trigger the horde. Once again, there's a good chance you could die here.
Like before, just keep on the move, "remember your training", and you should be
fine.
The rest of the level's straight forward until you reach Van Zandt. Remember to
run through the Machine Room as fast as you can, while exploring for ammo (and
stim-paks if you need them). Deal with the xeno's once you're clear of the
Machine Room, but before you go down the stairs to Van Zandt - this area's more
suitable for dealing with them, due to it's "open-ness".
Now for Van Zandt. When you go down the stairs, don't go fully into the main
room. Instead, hang back and destroy any CLOSED eggs with your pistol's
secondary fire. If any facehuggers escape then take them out with your pistol's
primary fire. Explore the whole room for eggs and pick-ups, before speaking to
Van Zandt. Once you destroy his lodger, you have to hold off a small horde
until the elevator arrives (is it just me or does all these elevators make you
dizzy?). You have enough ammo and space to move around so you should be ok.
When the coast is clear, head up the elevator.
You'll find yourself in the area you acquire the smart disc in the Predator
Campaign. Once you've destroyed all aliens (2 or 3), eggs and/or facehuggers,
head left from where you exited the elevator. The objective marker will tell
you to go right, but go the other way to explore for pick-ups. There'll be a
couple of unopened eggs, an opened egg with a facehugger nearby, some goodies
to be picked up in amongst the eggs, and a xeno or 2 to spice things up a bit -
you know what to do...
Once you've cleared that small room out, picked up ammo, grenades, etc. head
the way you're meant to go. Same idea as the previous room: some eggs, some
xeno's etc. If you struggle at all, head back out to the larger room and deal
with them in a safer environment. Head through to the hive proper once you've
cleared this area.
Facehuggers are going to be your main problem here. Using grenades (or
flamethrower), destroy as many eggs as you can before they open. You won't get
them all, but the more you do get the easier your life will be. Once you're
sure there's no more facehuggers left, activate the switch in front of the
Queen. Now you have to destroy the cannisters, while fending off a horde of
aliens - but don't worry because the pick-ups infinately spawn. There's no
other stim-paks though, so you can't take any more than 3 attacks from
facehuggers - the 4th will kill you. Once you've destoryed the cannisters (and
killed enough aliens) Tequila will give you the ok to flip the switch again.
- Jungle [jgl]
------
This level's quite short in comparison to the others in this campaign so you
should have few problems - but be careful, because stim-paks are at a premium.
There's also a couple of points in the level I'm going to ask you to run,
avoiding enemies to ensure survival, at the expense of your rating at the end
of the mission. If you're like me and you want all your missions to read
"General" on the Mission Select screen, then (as the governor of California
would say) "stick around" and kill everything. If you're not a completionist
and you just want to get through the level safely for the achievement at the
end of the campaign, then simply run and ignore the enemies and settle for a
"Sergeant" rating.
From the beginning, head up the stairs to the right in order to activate the
doors to the marsh. Before interacting with the laptop I recommend you deal
with the xeno that comes over the wall and kills your buddy. These are a new
breed of xenomorph that have a ranged acid-spit attack. They're also faster and
more elusive to kill - you'll be seeing a lot more of these as the capaign
progresses. Interact with the laptop, swap the flamethrower you started with
for the sniper rifle (makes killing these new aliens, and the facehuggers, a
lot easier), and head downstairs. Go to the other side and stock up on ammo and
grenades, kill the 2 spitting xeno's that arrive (they run away from you when
you chase them, but come up close and attack when you have your back to them -
infuriating, no?), before heading out into the marsh. There's a stim-pak to the
right under the stairs where you enter the level in the Alien Campaign. If you
don't need it now you'll never get it as the doors close as you leave.
Make your way across the marsh (one or 2 xeno's may follow you) and through the
egg-laden tunnels (destroying the couple of closed eggs on the way) until you
come to building M02 and the large antenna. Sometimes I find a facehugger in
the grass here and sometimes I don't - the sniper rifle is INVALUABLE in times
like these as you'll be able to better see it, even if it's hiding under long
blades of grass! Once the hack tool's job is complete you'll be treated to a
sequence where an invisible Predator shoots down the Typhoon - and just when
you thought things couldn't get any worse...
Head down to outbuilding M01. Exercise caution entering this building as there
will most likely be a facehugger lurking inside. Interact with the switch to
open the marsh's exit doors and pick up both rifle ammos on the floor. Make a
bolt for the exit, ignoring any and all aliens that give pursuit - they won't
follow you into the compound.
Now you have to take a power node to the main building (B01) from one of the
outbuildings. Each building has a power node and its own set of goodies (and
baddies). Here's how it goes:
- B02: this building has pulse- and sniper-rifle ammo, but also contains a
facehugger - so beware!
- B03: this building is closest to the main building (B01) and has shotgun ammo
in it. I found an alien in here on Hard but not on Nightmare.
- B04: this building didn't contain anything for me on Nightmare, except for an
alien on the roof. This is the alien that appears in B03 on Hard.
Feel free to chose which power node you use as it's the same result no matter
which you choose. If you want all the pick-ups then there's nothing to stop you
exploring all the buildings. Or if you don't like the risk then just tackle the
safest one because the enemies in the other rooms won't bother you unless you
enter their buildings.
Once you've placed the power node, head upstairs.Don't enter the room yet -
there's a facehugger in here. On testing this guide I came across a fully-grown
xenomorph instead. I don't know how or why this was, all I can say is keep on
your guard. Proceed with care and take him out swiftly and efficiently. The
only thing better than the pistol (for taking on facehuggers) is, of course,
the sniper rifle: it has a zoom sight and shows up targets' outlines, even when
behind scenery/furniture. After taking care of the facehugger/alien, the rest
of the level is quite easy - it's just a mad dash to the end.
Activate the console and pick up the stim-pak, if you need it. When the network
has been reconnected an alien will jump on the window, to be swiftly blasted to
smithereens by the Predator lurking outside (it's a shame you don't get to see
too much of the Predator in this campaign - kind of disappointing actually).
Now, the dash begins.
Head downstairs and wait by the door. If you go out too far the Predator will
"plasma-cast" your ass back to the start of the level. From here on it's just
the first level of the Predator Campaign, but backwards. Make a bolt out of
B01, using the other buildings for cover, and head for the exit (the entrance
in the Predator Campaign). Keep moving and don't stop for anything! Run as far
as you can go without stopping until you come to a large closed door with some
combat androids lying around.
Run up to the one closest to the door and quickly reverse, drawing your sniper
rifle as you do so. He should sit up and start firing at you. Quickly empty 4
or 5 sniper rounds into him to kill him. Then quickly run up to the keypad and
quickly activate it to open the doors. I know I just said "quickly" 4 times in
as many sentences, but ALL this has to be done before any of the xeno's that
have been chasing you catch up and kill you!
Once the door opens run, and I mean run, to the exit. Don't stop to reload your
rifle. Don't stop to shoot more bad things. Don't "anything". Just run, take a
left, end of level. Alternatively, you could hang back (after dealing with the
aliens at your back) and kill all 3 androids, but they will eventually rush you
- and the resulting shotgun to the head (and subsequent return to the beginning
of the level) might leave a sour taste...
Congratulations! You are now halfway towards getting that elusive "I LOVE the
Corps!" achievement. And now the sunbathing is over you're going to have to
earn your bread to finish this campaign. The next 2 levels are going to make
you cry - I promise.
- Ruins [rns]
-----
This level, and the Reasearch Lab, are probably the hardest in the WHOLE game
to do on Nightmare. This isn't going to be easy. You just have to be patient
and try, try (and sometimes another try), again.
Run forward and swap the shotgun for the sniper rifle: comparing the two, I
prefer this gun in most situations as it's certainly as powerful up close,
maintains power at distance, better ability to see camouflaged aliens (hold
"LT"), and has a far larger ammo capacity; the shotgun is handy sometimes, but
the xeno's acid blood is a killer in close quarters - a double-barrel unloaded
in an alien's face is "explosive", showering you in acid and almost certainly
kills you on Nightmare!
Run through the caverns (ignoring all enemies) until you come to the steps
leading up to the door. Interact with the door as fast as you can to get
through this area quickly. You want to shoot any spitting aliens from a
distance (they're easy to follow with the sniper rifle) whilst strafing to
avoid their spit. They tend to congregate on the ledge to the right and
sometimes on the wall above you to the left. Occasionally a xeno or two will
join you on these stairs for a scrap, just remember to "block-elbow-shoot" and
you'll be fine. Do NOT shoot an alien up close without elbowing it first - as I
said before, the splash of acid blood will almost always kill you on Nightmare.
Once you've defeated between eight and ten aliens (I lost count) remove the
hack tool (pick up the stim-pak at the foot of the stairs, if you need it) and
proceed through the door.
This next area is crowded with combat androids. Use your sniper rifle to deal
with them while remaining in cover. They'll take between three and five rounds
each to kill, depending where you hit them. Kill the two in this first room,
grab the ammo and grenades and head to the foot of the staircase on the left.
If you edge round the corner slowly you can shoot the propane cylinders at the
top of the stairs. This should damage and stagger the android laying in wait at
the top of the stairs. Quickly run up the stairs and empty a clip into him
before he can react, remembering not to stray too far forward as the androids
through this next doorway will be able to see you.
Through this next doorway you'll find yourself above the room you were just in.
There should be two androids standing and two lying prone on the ground (one of
which is "playing possom" - simply look through the sniper rifle, which ever
one has an outline around his body is the "possom": it's been a different one
every time I've played this level so be careful). Once you've killed these
three androids (one of the prone ones doesn't activate) pick up any ammo they
drop, plus the stim-pak if you need it, and climb up the rubble and join your
buddies.
If you're going to die at all on this level it's going to be now! The least
stressful way I could find to to this part was to pick up the smartgun at the
start and kill the first couple of waves of aliens. The trick here is to not
worry about "seeing" the aliens with your own eyes, as the smartgun does this
for you, but concentrate on your motion sensor. They come form behind and
everywhere here and if your spending your time trying to get a visual and not
watching your motion sensor they'll swiftly end this level for you. Your
movement is impaired while using the smartgun, so evasion is not an option. Use
your ammo sparingly as you're going to need every bullet! And don't wait for
the clip to run out before you reload, as you'll often find it happpens just as
you're surrounded by two or three xeno's - reload whenever there's a lull in
the attack, even if you've only spent one round!
After the first couple of waves follow your buddies to the right and head to
the second smartgun for some much needed ammo. I find the best place to stand
here is the top of the steps that you walked up. Use your environment to your
advantage - if you see a couple of alens next to a propane cylinder, well, I'm
sure you can be creative. After another wave or two here head up the ramp and
make your way to the objective marker - and prepare yourself for the time of
your life (incidentally, this is the part where I died most on this level)!
You've now got to survive until help arrives, they make it sound so easy don't
they? I found it least bothersome to reverse back the way I came, killing the
aliens behind me, until I come to where I picked up the smartgun (back where
you enter the area). If the smartgun does finally run out, my "full-ammo" guns
are lying at my feet waiting to be picked up just in case; there's ammo on top
of the pillars above the second smartgun, and there's ammo (along with grenades
and a stim-pak) next to the flaming aircraft. When you're ready, head through
to the Ruins proper...
You'll be treated to a cut-scene where a Predator nabs himself a little
"trophy" - nice. Now we've done this level before so I don't need to tell you
about the new xeno's with armour-plated heads, nor how to navigate the level -
do I?
Get on to the upper walls as fast as you can, or the aliens will only keep
infinately spawning. Once you're on top of the central pyramid have a look
around for the only door on the outer wall. Get that hack tool on and deal with
the wee horde of aliens that come after you, remembering always keep on the
move. Once the bypass is complete you can run through the door as fast as you
like. Now, remember that Predator that took your comrade's head? Hmmm...
Head to the cabin, picking up the stim-pak on the way (only if you need it of
course), and interact with the door. Now you know what those noises were that
you were hearing. This boss is probably THE easiest in the game - hands down
(which is rather a disappointment). Head to the steps and simply shoot him with
the sniper rifle until his blue health bar depletes; he'll then retreat to heal
(always in the same place I might add) where you will continue to shoot him,
noticing how his red health bar now depletes; repeat once or twice and he's
done for - pretty disappointing eh?
Head back up to the cabin. You can swap your sniper rifle for a fully loaded
shotgun if you like, I prefer it for the camouflaged aliens hiding on the nest
walls as it takes them down quickly and efficiently, but the choice is yours.
There's nothing in the first small room but there's two aliens hiding
surreptitiously on the walls of the second room. Equip your shotgun and
(carefully) head through the nest's corridor. Turn the first corner to find an
alien emerging from a marine's chest on the wall to your left. Kill it and take
a right. You'll find yourself approaching a smalller room with a "pillar" in
the middle. Don't enter the room yet. Stay well back in the corridor and
"double-barrel" the two xenomorphs that come after you. Now enter the room and
pick up the shotgun ammo to your left. There's a stim-pak in the next corridor,
but be careful, as there's another alien on the wall round the corner waiting
to ambush you! Turn right, then left, to find Tequila strung up on the wall.
Don't run towards her, but walk slowly and you'll be able to kill the alien
that ambushes you from above, and the one that attacks you from behind once you
enter the chamber - phew!
Rip Tequila off the wall and head back to the cabin - the journey should prove
uneventful, except for any ammo or stim-paks you may have missed. Decide if you
want to keep your shotgun or swap back to your sniper rifle and prepare for a
little heat.
You're almost at the end, so don't panic and just take your time - the last
thing you want to do is die right before the end of the level. I died at
this part once and I nearly dashed my head through my living room wall!
Walk with Tequila to the area where you fought the Predator. You now have to
take on around ten (I lost count again) aliens coming from all directions,
whilst escorting Tequila to the door at the far side. I wouldn't stay too close
to her as she takes her sweet bloody time to casually make her way there (I
don't think the aliens can kill her at this part, so I don't think you have to
actually "protect" her). Run around and kill any xeno's that are close- to
medium-range. If you've been smart and kept your grenades (I usually have two,
sometimes three) they'll be ideal as the xeno's do tend to congregate together.
Run back to Tequila every now and then to make sure she's actually moving
towards the door, as I'm not sure if she heads to the door by herself or if you
have to be in close proximity to trigger her moving forward (as most often, and
infuriatingly, happens in these kind of gaming scenarios): I was too busy
trying to complete the level and so didn't really experiment with this part of
the programming, so any useful input on this point would be greatly
appreciated. Once she (finallly) makes it up the steps she'll open the door,
where you promptly sprint through to ensure your success in completing the
level. Yee-haaa!!
In hind-sight I can say this is probably the hardest level of the game and if
you can do this on Nightmare you can do anything (I mean anything in the game -
I had a horrifying vision that if I didn't add this bracket there would be
COMPLETE idiots out there that would jump off their neighbour's roof, break
both their legs, and tell their doctor that I said "they could do anything"
lol)!
- Research Lab [rlb]
This level gave me the most bother in my relentless pursuit for that damned "I
LOVE the Corps!" achievement. The level itself isn't as hard as the Ruins, but
I was stuck on it for longer and certainly put far more hours into it than any
other level. It's that damned Praetorian cow! I played this level relentlessly
for a night, a full day, and another night (without sleeping and eating very
little). The summary of my efforts was that I knew the level like the back of
my hand but just couldn't kill the Praetorian - which, I might add, is the end
of the entire bloody level! At between ten and twenty minutes a run (depending
where I'd die) you can see it was quite soul-destroying. And to think, it took
me all that time and heartache to discover that I needed the shotgun to kill
her instead of the sniper rifle - this is one of those exceptions (mentioned in
the previous level) where the shotgun is preferable to the sniper rifle. My
mother did always say I had to do things the hard way...
Now we're past that lengthy rambling on, we'll continue with the FAQ.
When the level commences, run straight up the stairs to the door to activate
Bishop's speach (Tequila will deal with the android playing possom, or you can
take care of it yourself before heading up the stairs). Continue until you come
to the monorail station, where you'll be greeted by two androids. The monorail
comes after you kill one of the androids - but we can take the crafty approach.
Standing behind the forklift on the right, shoot the far left android in the
legs to immobilise him, before shooting him once or twice again until he only
needs one more shot to kill him (this makes for easy pickings later), THEN kill
the android on the far right to trigger the arrival of the monorail (if you're
quick you can kill the far-left one on the ground before the train arrives). Of
the three androids that exit the train, one will approach from the right of the
forklift - kill him as he tries to climb up. Another may come up the stairs on
the left and try to kill you up close (his shotgun is deadly) - simply elbow
him to the ground (you may have to shoot him first to interrupt his own
shooting) and drill him with the pulse rifle before he can regain a vertical
base. The third usually stays by the pillar.
Head through the train, up the few steps (killing the "seated" android you
partially killed before, if you didn't get him before the train came), and into
the alcove immediately in front of you. Edge out slightly and kill the two or
three androids firing at Tequila from the front (there should be four androids
in total, but one or two stay back until you press forward). As you move
forward two aliens will come and join the fray: kill the aftermath, be they
android or xenomorph. Go up the elevator and kill another android "playing
possom" - two or three shots of the sniper rifle to the hip should kill him.
Proceed and you'll be treated to another of the "Bishop Monologues" over the
tannoy before entering the Research Lab proper.
Proceed to Administrator Katya, picking up any ammo and grenades on your way,
and wait for Tequila to slowly limp to the bed (when you've played this level
as many times as I have this section feels like it takes FOREVER). After you've
spoken with Katya approach the door enough for it to open, without actually
going outside (Tequila's room, not Katya's). Use your sniper rifle to shoot the
android in the distance, and if you're lucky you might take out one or two
xeno's that run past your line of fire. Once he's dead the xeno's will come for
you (usually it's just one by the time you kill him). To the left of the door
there's another android, but a xeno will come for him - kill the winner (if
you're luck is still holding up the alien will go for the trophy-kill on the
android... simply headshot the alien and both will die).
The rest of this section is straight forward until you exit the lab and come to
the hangar with all the eggs in it. Using a combination of grenades and sniper
rounds, take out the androids and aliens that are fighting with each other in
the next room, before any aliens get to you: the aliens take priority as they
can be a real nuisance in this room due to the close quarters. Once all the
aliens are dead, kill any androids with the sniper rifle (some may be
invisible).
The rest of the level is straight forward. You'll be fighting combat androids
from here pretty much until you come to the Praetorian. Just remember to remain
in cover and shoot their legs whenever you can, this immobilises them - making
them a static target. Feel free to use your grenades as there's plenty coming
up until you reach the elevator.
Once you go in the elevator, you'll exit in the control room (you'll recognise
this section from the Alien Campaign). Before you activate the console, you can
go through the door to the left and get some extra goodies if you need them,
but once you interact with the console this door will lock. The door behind
you will now open. Stand well back and try and shoot the facehugger through the
legs of the table with the sniper rifle (you'll need your motion sensor to
pinpoint where it is). Once it's dead, head through and outside.
Turn the corner and two xeno's will come at you from the distant scenery, kill
them and head to the outdoor elevator. Ride it down and be ready for the alien
that comes from where you just were (now above-left). Turn the corner and three
more come from the scenery. Turn the last corner and kill the final xeno that
drops down, before going through the door and swapping your sniper rifle for a
shotgun (this simple little step finally enabled me to get past what I deemed,
for a long time, to be an impossible task). Head through the next couple of
rooms, picking up any goodies you may require, and prepare yourself for the
Praetorian!
First of all you want to drill her with the pulse rifle a little bit amd fire a
grenade, knocking her over. If you get a chance, shoot her from the top of the
steps, but her minions should be upon you by now. Deal with them in an orderly
fashion, falling back at the same time (but don't corner yourself). When she
comes up the stairs give her another grenade and run past her, down the steps
to where she started. Pick up the shotgun ammo and turn around. When she nears,
give her another grenade, and unload both barrels of your shotgun ("LT"). She
should be about half dead by now. Back off, grab grenades on floor, and keep
repeating. Whatever you do don't let her get too close: if she melees you even
once, her follow-up attack is certain death - it's a rare thing to escape the
Praetorian once she hits you with a melee attack (unless you're a Predator).
Keep on the move the whole time, as her minions will be on you all the while.
Once she's dead, kill any other aliens lying around, run onto the elevator, and
watch the level fade out...
That's the hardest part of the campaign over! The final level is a breeze
compared to the previous two - so let's get to it.
- Pyramid [pyd]
Once the elevator reaches the bottom run out and quickly pick up all ammo and
grenades (you'll see why shortly), before picking up the smartgun on the ground
(and any ammo for it nearby) and turning on the laptop for the mounted
smartgun. Reverse and stand on top of the little steps you had to go down after
leaving the elevator. You only have to kill the aliens that make it past the
mounted gun, and even then just burst fire to conserve ammo. Reload whenever
there's a lull in the attack... don't wait for the clip to run out (see related
paragraph in the "Ruins" section). Keep your peripheral peelers peeled, because
after you kill enough aliens coming over the bridge they'll start coming from
the sides of the platform you're currently standing, bypassing the mounted
smartgun altogether - so be careful.
Once you've destroyed all of the aliens, you have a small amount of time to
pick up your guns you originally started the level with (fully loaded with
maximum grenades - if you followed the last paragraph to the letter). Stand
behind the mounted smartgun and snipe them as they come across the bridge,
utilising any propane cylinders still intact on the bridge. Focus on one only
and kill it first - it's better to have one full-health Praetorian after you
than two half-dead Praetorians. Once she/they make it across the bridge (the
mounted gun will have done some of your work for you) lure her/them around the
pillars and grenade the propane cylinders - this knocks them flying and deals
serious damage. There shouldn't be any other problems at this point as, like I
said, the propane cylinders (used correctly) will dispose of the Praetorian/s
rather swiftly.
Head into the next area and you'll be treated to a cut-scene with Bishop. When
the cut-scene's over you'll find yourself facing two combat androids with your
pistol. Hide behind the crates immediately in front of you to the left and
switch to your pulse rifle. Watch your motion sensor for the android that comes
forward - you need to elbow him to the ground (without giving his friend a line
of fire on you) and drill him before he can get back up. His friend will then
come forward - repeat said process. Pick up the nearby ammo, but don't drop
down to the lower area. Strafe left, while equipping the siper rifle, and use
the rifle's scope to identify two androids down the path to the left (don't
move too far forward as you'll alert them to your presence). Shoot them in the
legs (you'll need to be a top marksmen to floor them - they don't want to stay
still very often) with the sniper, line up the shot at the base of their bodies
(to account for recoil), switch to the pulse rifle (without moving the aiming
reticule as they may turn invisible), and burst-fire the seated android/s: as
the gun jerks up it sprays the entire body vertically with bullets (the first
bullet negates their cloaking devices, making them visible). If you aim
low enough, and your distance is right, you can get many rounds to land while
only losing a few - it takes more rounds to kill them, but you don't need the
pulse rifle beyond this point so you may as well use the ammo.
I'll note here that if you're from a medium distance or greater away from the
"seated" androids, they'll refrain from shooting and "cloak" instead, in the
hope that you walk past them and they blow you away. While they're on the move,
or taking cover, they'll continuously open fire on you. You need to take out
their legs quickly as this lowers their "risk hazard" towards you
exponentially. This gives you far more breathing room when taking them out as:
they won't fire at distance when "invisible/seated"; and the fact that they're
now a static target is never a bad thing. This is an important tactic to
remember for this area.
Continue around the "S-shaped" path, taking them on two at a time, and never
move so far forward that you "activate" the next two androids - no sense in
making this job any harder is there? Once all eight androids (four groups of
two) are dead, swap your sniper rifle for the shotgun, stock up on ammo etc.
You're now ready to face Karl Bishop Weyland (where's Miss Yutani?)...
Now people have told me that "this is a hard boss", "he's impossible to kill",
etc. He's the same as any other boss in this game (which is disappointing). If
any of you are familiar with my previous FAQs, you'll know that HE'S NOT AS
HARD AS HE SEEMS - if you use your head...
Equip your shotgun (you won't need anything else, trust me) and head up the
stairs, making a beeline for the crates to the left beyond the monument
(there's a monument to either side of you at the top of the stairs). Now you
always want to keep some piece of scenery (i.e crates or monuments) between
Bishop and you for cover. Keeping an eye on your motion sensor (so you know
which side he's going to come at you from), strafe left and right from behind
cover, delivering a double-barrel from your shotgun ("LT") into his face.
I know it sounds rediculous/disappointing, but repeat this simple process and
the prize is yours. The only way you'll die here is if he manages to some how:
head-shot you with his shotgun as you're coming up the stairs (his shotgun is
like a sniper rifle at distance, this much is true), or; manage to some how get
behind you as you're circling things for cover. This means you are either: very
unlucky (in the first case), or; an imbecile who doesn't know how to use
his/her motion sensor, making it a wonder you ever made it this far (in the
second case).
Now you've finally killed Karl Bishop Wayland... but wait! There's a cut-scene?
What's going on here? I thought I just blew him sideways with my shotgun? Pay
attention! Watch the cut-scene closely, and when you've done the wrestle/tumble
thing, you'll find your trusty pistol in your hand; your only true companion
from the outset - with you at the very beginning, and your saving grace at the
very last. Your safest bet here is, instead of relying on your single-fire,
line the shot up just below his chin, then press "LT" (using the recoil to your
advantage), and the three-burst spray will inevitably kill him for good (only
one of the three bullets has to strike his face/head) - but is he really dead
for good...?
You are now, after many (and I mean many) trials and tribulations, the proud
owner of the "I LOVE the Corps!" achievement, along with a "General" rating for
every mission . And (if you've gotten absolutely every other achievement the
game has to offer) possibly the "Not Bad for a Human" achievement (the greatest
prize of them all)!
Congratulations!
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
- Conclusion [cln]
We've finally done it! We have finally reached the end of this (for me) epic
trilogy - and I'll bet there were some of you who thought we'd never get there!
This was the most important installment of the FAQ trilogy for a couple of
reasons: firstly, because it marks the end to a pain-staking (more painful than
I had originally anticipated at least) process - things can happen the same way
ninety-nine times and, as soon as you try to document it, the hundredth time
has a different outcome than the rest, and secondly; because I figured that, as
this was the hardest, most popular, and best campaign, this would be the
most-wanted of the three (Nightmare Alien FAQ, Nightmare Predator FAQ, and
Nightmare Marine FAQ).
I'd like to thank rhys jones for reminding me that I had a job to do - I
decided I'd have a small sabbatical and start playing a game I'd never played
before (one of the more famous RPGs - "the" RPG), and just forgot to stop
playing. Thanks again for making me face that "Ruins" and getting on with it.
Well, that's it for me. I've had a good time (and a bad time) writing all these
FAQs and I'm finally glad it's all over - for better or worse. If anyone has
anything essential to add, anything erroneous that must be deleted/altered, or
just want to tell me how good/bad these FAQs have been, please see "Contact Me"
section.
Thank you again. You've been a wonderful audience.
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
- Legal Information [lgi]
This Nightmare Marine FAQ is the property of the author Dale Taylor and may
only be used by Gamefaqs.com, Gamespot.com, and any other sites owned and
operated by them. This may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise
distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on
any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited,
and a violation of copyright.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
Copyright 2010 Dale Taylor
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
- Contact Me [cnt]
Any queries, criticisms (constructive or otherwise), or if you just want to
tell me I'm a pompous wind-bag who loves the sound of his own voice, you can
get me at:
e-mail: [email protected]
gamertag: Rixus Mar
*******************************************************************************